From ‘I’ to ‘We’

So, last night was kinda random. I went to a café – to read and get out of my apartment – and ended up talking with some guys. They looked about my age – which is a rarity in my town. After a couple minutes we had gotten past the introductions and just started talking – mostly about why would an American come to Bulgaria. And, once I had gotten across that I want to meet as many people and learn as much as possible, we started to make all sorts of plans. The want to teach me how to ski, how to make Bulgarian dishes, et cetera… It was great. So, following Bulgarian tradition, I invited them for an impromptu ‘na gosti.’ (There really isn’t a perfect translation for this word but it is a casual gathering at your house where you talk, eat, and drink. Nothing extravagant. But, they last hours. Like 5 or 6 of ‘em.)

So, they called some of their friends and pretty soon we had about ten twenty somethings in my apartment. Did you hear that? People my age, in my town. I had been resigned to being friends with people my parents’ age for the next two years. (Wow, I am going to catch some heat for that sentence.) They stayed forever and the festivities included dancing the horo (that Bulgarian traditional dance) around the three rooms of my apartment. It was hilarious.

Now, I have only met up with them one other time and do not want to make it seem that I have a bunch of Bulgarian best friends, but they are here. That fact alone is the true news. There is a chance that I will have people to hangout with. To go to cafes. To do whatever. The fact that that pesky, ever present grammatical ‘I’ might get swapped – even once in a while – with the much more friendly ‘We’. Instead of: I went to dinner. We might have: We went to dinner. Big difference. Really.

As for everything else, all is well. I am starting to put together some projects and get more and more settled. Kind of strange. Plus, the weather has been amazingly warm. If this is what winter here has to offer, I am not going to complain. Hope everyone is doing well. And, as always, I would love to hear from you guys.

~~Mark

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Looking for a good time?

So you need more of a reason than me to come to Bulgaria???? Fine then. Here you are. An article printed in the
Washington Post

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If Prague is passé, what's Europe's new cutting-edge destination?** (Sofia, Bulgaria) …

Top 5 international destinations…
1. Athens. The real winner of the Summer Games? The tourist infrastructure.
2. The Bahamas. A new resort and more flights signal change on Great Exuma.
3. Botswana. Unlike other African safari centers, the animals actually outnumber the animal watchers.
4. Bulgaria. Prague: Out. Sofia: In.
5. Ecuador. South America's friendly one-stop shop for volcanoes, jungles, beaches.

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And this one in a British paper The Times:

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Best of 2004
50p pints in Bulgaria

Thomson Holidays (0870 2413157, www.thomson.co.uk) is tipping Bulgaria as a holiday hotspot for this year. Firmly established as a budget destination for UK skiers, the country is now attracting a growing number of summer sun seekers looking for value for money.
Chris Mottershead, managing director of Thomson’s parent company, TUI UK, said: “Bulgaria has a lovely Mediterranean climate and immaculate beaches, but also has a very European feel to it. The food and wine are fantastic value: a pint of beer costs only 50p and a meal is just £5 a head.”
Thomson has introduced six Black Sea resorts including Golden Sands and Sunny Beach, both of which have EU blue flag awards for cleanliness.

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So, there you are. See you soon...
~~Mark

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Home for Christmas, back for New Years…

Well, I just wanted to thank everyone for a wonderful Christmas. It really was amazing to be home, even for just a short bit. To be honest, I was nervous that this trip would only make me want to stay home. But, it didn’t. I guess it is reassuring to know that my family and friends are still out there; and when I am with them everything seems to just click back into place. Indisputable proof of this fact is my left shoulder. It is now a nasty mix of black and blue; and will soon enough turn into a dirty yellow. You know it has been a good reunion with brothers and buddies when you can not raise your own hand over your head.

So, after the good life in Chicago, I jumped on a plane to London (about 8 hours) and then grabbed a flight to Sofia (3 hours). Once in Sofia, I grabbed my bags and beat the mob of people to the line of cabs. I overpaid the cabbie to speed me to the train station. Bar none the scariest cab ride ever. Once at the station I bought a ticket, locked up my extra luggage and sprinted to the tracks. In my haste, I misread the ticket and ran to the wrong track. Once I figured everything out and was on the right track, I was chasing down the moving train. Here is where I did the unthinkable. I stopped chasing it. (I think I am getting old.) We had another volunteer lose a leg trying to catch a moving train and I thought that that would be a bad way to start off the New Year. Not the bravest decision, but how often do you find your self debating the possibility of losing a leg? So, like the sad half of a Hallmark movie couple I stood in the snow and watched my train pull away.

Luckily, I was able to argue and get my money back for the ticket. I then sprinted to the bus station. I had been told that all the busses stopped working after noon on New Years Eve. But, it was the bus or nothing to do for midnight. My luck was with me and I was able to grab a ride to Rousse. This was the rally point for a bunch of other volunteers. After my bus ride (5 hours), I pulled in to the bus station and saw my friends crossing the street. I am not sure how it happened like that, but it did. I went from Chicago to Rousse, Bulgaria and was within 20 minutes of everyone else. Crazy.

After a quick dinner, we headed to the main square for midnight. In a word: amazing. There was a light snow and a live band. ‘2004’ outlined in lights and anywhere from 500 to 700 people throwing fireworks around. The traditional countdown (in Bulgarian) and then the big show: everyone joined hands and started dancing the horo (that same line type dance that I did at the wedding). The traditional music sounded very Soviet and I was wide eyed and jaw dropped the whole time. Definitely a ‘who do I think I am’ moment. I know I would have preferred to be in Chicago with my friends, but this was an unforgettable night.

The next few nights, we spent hopping from town to town. Borovo, Veliko Turnovo, and Sofia. Luckily for me, my jet lag was perfectly in sync with staying up to all hours of the morning. But now, things are not so well timed. So, I will have to fight off some nasty sleep patterns this week; but, what else is a kid supposed to do. It was worth every second.

To everyone who I was able to see and talk to this trip, thanks. It really meant a lot to relax among friends and family. To everyone who I only was able to see only briefly, again thank you. No matter how little time was spent it all added up. And, if I did not get a chance to see you, I am really sorry. With two new kids in the family, it was hard to peal myself away from the house.

Have a safe and happy New Year!!

~Mark

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